40x100x14 "Barn" build

[Jasper Jones]

After reading and observing on GJ for years, and collecting details, inspiration and knowledge from so many amazing people and builds, my dream is finally coming true.

I closed on a new house with some acreage back in May, and now I am starting my "barn" build. It is going to be a traditional gambrel-roofed barn, with 3 sets of dormers and 3 cupolas, but not quite a traditional barn as it will have a heated slab and insulated walls.

Preliminary plans call for 40'x100' main floor with 14' ceilings, and a 20'x100' upstairs with 3 sets of 12' wide dormers giving (if my math is right) 2,520 sq ft of additional space.

Main floor will provide storage for a 37' RV (12'1" high), a 19' Starcraft fishing boat, a 24' Pursuit Denali, assorted ATVs, and hopefully substantial work space for lifts, tools, fabrication equipment and such.

Upstairs will have a simple bathroom for toilet, sink and shower (for when I need to clean up before going in the house) and most likely a small seating area in the one the dormers, which will provide a nice view out the window over my property and pond. The rest will be used for general storage and what not, maybe eventually a small office or fly-tying station.

I've drawn up preliminary plans in Google SketchUp, and although it is my first time using modeling software, I found it amazingly easy to use.

I need to decide if I want to orient the building in a North-South or East-West configuration. Interior details are not very important right now, as all that will be planned out later. I need to file for a Special Land Use permit soon, so I am just trying to figure out the basic site plan, building footprint, and balancing things between what I think looks best and what is most efficient.

I personally prefer the N-S orientation, as it makes most efficient use of land and driveway, and also will provide a nice privacy barrier between the road and the rest of my yard. In the drawings I have attached, the main road is the dark one, and my house (the very rough boxy shape, just wanted the footprint in the plans) sits to the north of the barn. I am going to be planting a small orchard of apple, peach, cherry and other trees in between the barn and the main road, which will help obscure the barn some.

While I like the layout of the N-S plan, the E-W plan seems to be most efficient for vehicle storage and access.

If any of you have thoughts or input on the orientation of the barn, your advice is more than welcome.

I personally prefer the N-S plan, but I am slightly worried that it might get annoying shuffling things in and out to move or access stuff.

In both shots, my house is the oddly shaped gray blocks, with small detached garage. The current driveway is a rough sketch, and the brown rectangle is the general area of my septic system (to help plan for plumbing). The whole property is fairly level, not a lot of elevation change at all.

Aerial view of N-S plan
Main road runs north-south, and I am on the west side of it. The east wall of my barn will be facing the road, the side with the porch will face into my property.

Aerial view of E-W plan
More door openings, smaller porch

 

[ishiboo]

I will be watching this carefully as I have a 40x100x30 (45' peak) barn waiting to be renovated

 

[Jasper Jones]

N-S plan:
Again, this is my favorite because of the way it sections off the big field and makes my property a little more private. It also gives me a huge porch, and the dormers will face back into my property, over looking the field, pond, and woods.

This side would be facing my house.

The view from the main road:

South end of the barn, facing my woods, and about 60' from my southern property border:

Alternate view of the side facing the house:

View of the porch, facing my field and pond:

 

[Jasper Jones]

E-W plan:

I think this would make it easier to get the RV and boats in and out, and also give me more options on placing a lift and planning the access. However, I don't like how it lays on the property, I prefer the larger porch of the N-S, and the dormers will face my house on one side and the property line with trees and power lines on the other.

Side facing my house:

Another angle of the same:

Shorter porch, facing my field and pond:

Side facing the southern border of my property:

 

[Jasper Jones]

If you have read through all of this, and are still here; thank you.

To make the N-S plan more usable, I am considering chopping 20' or so off the far end of the long porch, and adding another full-height overhead door.

The one under the porch is an 8' door, which should be good for most vehicles, but I figure adding a 13' door should give me a lot more flexibility for moving things in and out. Plus, I was thinking about putting the lift in front of this door, so I could work on taller vehicles too.

The only other consideration for main floor space is the stairs to the upper level, and then passthroughs in the slab for plumbing, wiring, etc.

I am pretty flexible on most details at this point.

Again, thank you for any input!

 

[Jasper Jones]

I will be watching this carefully as I have a 40x100x30 (45' peak) barn waiting to be renovated

Cool! This will only be about a 28' peak.

 

[Rookie2]

That's Awesome !

I assume it will have a metal roof . Insulate it. Insulate it. Insulate it. at the time of the build.

 

[Jasper Jones]

That's Awesome !

I assume it will have a metal roof . Insulate it. Insulate it. Insulate it. at the time of the build.

Yes, metal roof and sides. Plans are for ~2" of closed cell spray foam, backed with ~4" of fiberglass batt. Maybe more upstairs.

 

[Badasssapper67]

Congrats on the new place! Your barn is awesome.

 

[kbs2244]

I like to have my big doors facing South.
It catches the sun and it is shielded from the wind.
But you cannot do the without a major re-think on location.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Is drifting snow/prevailing winds going to be a factor in N-S-E-W orientation?

 

[Diesel Dan]

Yes, metal roof and sides. Plans are for ~2" of closed cell spray foam, backed with ~4" of fiberglass batt. Maybe more upstairs.

IMO, if you are going to use closed cell foam just add another inch and forget the fiberglass. IIRC, 3+ inches of closed cell also becomes a moisture barrier.

 

[ishiboo]

Yes, metal roof and sides. Plans are for ~2" of closed cell spray foam, backed with ~4" of fiberglass batt. Maybe more upstairs.

Have you gotten a quote for 2" spray foam on a 4000 square foot 2-story building? I think you'll be quite surprised

 

[sberry]

I am going to read back thru this, as someone mentioned all of this is beautiful archetectually, the views are great, if you want to be in and out in winter weather the side doors are a real problem as well as needing to header and post for them etc.

I like the look of these dimensions especially with the porch, it helps widen it, the lay of the land may require some consessions as to direction of entrance but,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I might be tempted to give this another spin, 60x80 overhead doors (paint them) enter from ends.

 

[Jasper Jones]

Congrats on the new place! Your barn is awesome.

Thank you!

I like to have my big doors facing South.
It catches the sun and it is shielded from the wind.
But you cannot do the without a major re-think on location.

Thanks for the suggestion, but there is pretty much no way I can have my main doors on the south side without making major sacrifices.

Is drifting snow/prevailing winds going to be a factor in N-S-E-W orientation?

Shouldn't be too bad. Most of it should be on the west side where the porch is, which will not see much, if any use, in the winter. Although, with doing a heated slab, I might run a couple loops under the porch to help with snow melt. Thanks for the input!

IMO, if you are going to use closed cell foam just add another inch and forget the fiberglass. IIRC, 3+ inches of closed cell also becomes a moisture barrier.

As far as I know, closed cell spray foam is a moisture barrier At lower thicknesses, too. However, several people have recommended against spraying foam directly on the metal, so I am looking at putting tyvek or a vapor barrier on the metal and then spraying over that.

Basically, I want the closed cell to seal everything up and stop air leaks, and then use fiberglass for the majority of my r-value. I think it's a good balance between cost and performance.

Have you gotten a quote for 2" spray foam on a 4000 square foot 2-story building? I think you'll be quite surprised

I haven't quoted this exact building, but I have used spray foam in the past, and I am familiar with the costs. I plan on being here a long time, and it should just pay off more and more as the years stretch on.

I am going to read back thru this, as someone mentioned all of this is beautiful archetectually, the views are great, if you want to be in and out in winter weather the side doors are a real problem as well as needing to header and post for them etc.

I like the look of these dimensions especially with the porch, it helps widen it, the lay of the land may require some consessions as to direction of entrance but,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I might be tempted to give this another spin, 60x80 overhead doors (paint them) enter from ends.

Thanks for the kind words and input. From what's understand, going to 60' wide instead of 80' wide would be a substantial increase in cost. I am going to reconfigure the doors a little, I will post up new drawings later.

I am trying to maximize wall space for pallet racking and work areas, while still keeping the main floor accessible to vehicles. I am trying not to add too many overhead doors. I think the new configuration is going to be pretty good.

 

[ishiboo]

Thanks for the kind words and input. From what's understand, going to 60' wide instead of 80' wide would be a substantial increase in cost. I am going to reconfigure the doors a little, I will post up new drawings later.

I am trying to maximize wall space for pallet racking and work areas, while still keeping the main floor accessible to vehicles. I am trying not to add too many overhead doors. I think the new configuration is going to be pretty good.

40' is a good depth, but realize it's narrow in the scheme of a vehicle/etc. IE, my 29' boat on a trailer takes about 37'... many 5th wheels are right at that length too. So carefully consider what you will be storing before you decide on 40'.

I had a 30x40' stick before, if this barn wasn't existing I would have made it a bit deeper. My new stick is going to be 40x50 or 40x60.

 

[sberry]

I used a lpt pf garble to say turn the building 90, widen it, shorten it put doors in end wall same direction you have. It would allow end to end parking and some turning vs 1 door to a "stall". You could do it with 2 doors

 

[sberry]

I should learn to do sketches on the machine here. I have a substantial building and I really got most of it right and right for me,,, meaning I didn't add too many expensive under utilized spaces or features as well as only missed minor issues, some could be addressed if I had to but I was broke at the time so. I skimped on windows, still should install a couple but should have added large overhang on face over doors. As a real matter of function,,, I am not on a busy road etc,,, its small and could be fixed.

Most could live without the side door I have, I can but really don't use it in the winter buts perfect in the summer. Dirty cut weld pitstop work is easy there and next to the machines.

I like office and second story along one side and walk door in end next to overhead. This allows the majority of utilities to be grouped, may conserve heat, is the closest in terms of walking. I do not like to enter the garage thru the "office" but the office from the garage just after entrance.

I am not much for complication but optimize the sq ft and consider that the building is also a raceway for utilities and ideally much of it frost free

 

[sberry]

I should do some3 floor plans, what is great on paper looks different from a plan view with human traffic perspective. Cost, use and duty cycle are factors but in my case have 4 sinks 2 stools a shower with laundry feeds along with some indoor outdoor hydrants in 2 stories in 65 ft of floor space and 500 in plumbing parts.

Using the first story wall framing to support second reduces need for special floor loads, even lets windows be installed in side walls for second story which is super practical but it could still be inhances on public and home sides with dormers etc but some reduced features certainly reduce some cost and grief. All of the building does not need a second floor?

I love my floor plan, it could be downsized 1 bay for smaller buildings and a guy could almost skip a large back door.

 

[sberry]

My own space rotates, in a few minutes could make it a paint pooth, hopefull it is empty but in winter I often have a daily driver or am de icing a car or 3. I can park 3 cars and still get to the hoist along the back wall.

 

[sberry]

Here is some perspective and some changes would apply to others but. I have a side door which I use, utilities are fed from that direction, incoming and outgoing. If I didn't absolutely need that door would skip it and extend interior construction along that wall in a fashion you see in my pic, as far as needed, the garage side would have a real stairway that went to the second story and as I DO have, bathroom stacked over first floor bathroom and utility chase. The pic was early on, its all been thru a couple retrofits

 

[sberry]

different view,, whoops, tried to cobble some pics not working